'The Crown' to embrace salary parity

JERUSALEM: The makers of the hit sitcom "The Crown" have decided to embrace salary parity after star Claire Foy earned less than her male co-star Matt Smith for the first two seasons.

On Tuesday, the producers of the Netflix show announced that "Going forward, no one gets paid more than the Queen", at a conference here, reports hollywoodreporter.com. 

Foy played Queen Elizabeth in the drama and earned a Golden Globe, SAG Award and Emmy nomination, among other accolades, for the part. Smith joined "The Crown", where he played Prince Philip for two seasons after featuring for three seasons on "Doctor Who" as the protagonist.

Suzanne Mackie, the Left Bank creative director and executive producer acknowledged that Smith's experience on "Doctor Who" fuelled the salary disparity.

"The Crown" chronicles Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the present day. 

New actors are being brought in to take over Foy and Smith's roles, among others, for the third and fourth seasons, with those parts being recast for what is expected to be a fifth and sixth season. 

Actress Olivia Colman, who won a Golden Globe award for her work in "The Night Manager", will take over for Foy's character as Queen Elizabeth, while the new Prince Philip is yet to be cast. 

Helena Bonham Carter will take over for Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret as new characters - including Princess Diana who will be introduced in the upcoming seasons.

Salary parity has become a larger part of the conversation as the Time's Up movement continues to gather steam, encouraging women to speak up about subjects like money, that were once considered taboo.